Pot seat



Patented Aug. 4, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEE SHOWERS, OF CHARLEROI, -`PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T0 PITTSBURGH PLATE GLASS COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

ro'r SEAT.

, Application led October 6, 1921. Serial No. 505,896.

To all whom zt/may concern.'

Y Be it known that I, LEE SHOWERS, a citi-y zen of the United States, and a resident of Charleroi, in the county of Washington and State of Pennsylvania, have made anew and useful invention in Improvements in Pot Seats, of which the following is a specilication.

The invention relates to pot seats for luse in connection with the makingy of plate or optical glass in which the glass is melted in large clay pots which are placed in the furnace and exposed tothe action of heat .until the batch employed is reduced to a molten state and the glass lined. -These pots are ordinarily placed directly upon the clay' vfloor of the furnace, which lloor is slightly crowned or arched. Thiscrown renders it diliicult to give the pot a fiat seatjand in Vthe course of time the floor becomes uneven due to wear or settling of the ground beneath. AS a result the pots sometimes crack or break due to 'the strains involved in the unevensupport. The` purpose ofthe .present invention is the provisions of improved means whereby a perfectly flat even seat for the pot issecured, and whereby such seat may be readily replaced in case any'uneveness develops or theseat becomes cracked or broken in service. Certain embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein Figure 1 is a vertical section through the improved pot seat construction" with a pot in position thereon and Fig. 2 is a vertical section through a modified construction in which the upper seating block is omitted. v

Referring to the drawings, l is aportion of the floor of the pot furnace, which furnace, as indicated, has a slight arch or crown. This floor is offclay and rests upon the ground or other suitable foundation 2. At those points atwhich the pots are to rest upon the floor circular sections of the floor are cut out and the seating sections 3 fitted in place. These seating sections are preferably made of clay of a tougher, more resistant composition than that of the floor 1 itself. These seating blocks 3 are dried and burned hard before positioning and theyy may be either positioned at the time the Hoor is laid, or in case the improvementris added to an old furnace, the floor must be cut away to receive the blocks. They preferably project above thefloor asillustrated,

. although this is not necessarily the case.

Mounted upon the top of the block 3 is a second block 4 of refractory material'such yas pot clay but-'having a'higher percentage of silica or other material tending to make the block'more refractory. This block 4 is preferably of alarger diameter than the block 3 beneath, so that any glass which drops `from the block will not get under the stone, but will drop to the floor. This keeps Athe upper block from stickingy to the lower one.

The lower lpart of the bloclr4 is 'cupped or recessed as indicated at 5'and the space is filled with a finelyy divided material, preferably carbonaceous inv character,n such 'als vcoke breeze, the purpose being to secure for the-block a more level seat and prevent adhesion or we'ldingvbetweenthe opposing ysurfaces. i

' The 'upper surfaceof the block 4 which is to lreceive'the pot isv preferably made perfectly flat so that it will contactwith the .pot .throughout Substantially the entire area thereof. The fpot 'is thussupported very uniformly and withoutV any 'undue strain such as would ordinarily be the case in seating a potupon a floor having a crown or arch or'y upon a .floor section more or less worn or uneven. rIt is relatively.v easy to makethe top surface of the block perfectly v4'flat and true, and in case any unevenness developsinuse' it is al simple matter to'remove crane. In order to prevent any adhesion or welding between the pot 7 and the upper surface of the block 4, the upper surface of the block 4 is preferably s rinkled with a thin layerv of coke breeze be ore the pot is placed in position.

Fig. 2 illustrates a modification in which the floor 2 is provided with a seating block 8, upon which the pot 9 rests directly, the block corresponding to the block 4 of Fig. l being omitted. In this construction the upper face of the block 8 is made perfectly flat so as to give an even support to the pot. This construction lacks certain advantages of the construction of Fig. l, but does have the advantage over the old type of construc- 'the-block, 4 and `substitute another in its place, the block being preferably provided tion that the block 8 may be made of a mav pot.

terial more resistant to cracking than the fioor and is less liable to crack than the -floor because of the limited area which it covers. It also has the advantage that its upper surface may be made perfectly plain and fiat before the block isput in position, thus giving a better support for the bottom of the pot than the curved surface of the floor.

What I claim is: A

l. In combination with the arched clay floor of a pot furnace having an opening therein, of a seating block of refractory material set in fixed position in said opening in the` floor, the said block having a fiat continuous upper surface adapted to engage and vsupport substantially the entire bottom area of the pot.

2. In combination with the arched clay floor Vof a pot furnace having an opening` therein, o'f a seating block of refractory material, more resistant to wear and strain than the material of the floor itself, set in 'fixed position in the opening in the Hoor and having its upper surface flat and continuous and adapted to engage and support substantially the entire 'bottom area of the '3. In combination with the floor o-f a pot furnace, of a seating block of refractory material set into the floor, and a second block of refractory material mounted upon the top of the seating block and adapted `to receive the pot.

4. In combination withth'eoor of a pot furnace, of a seating block of refractory `material set into the floor, and a second block of refractory lmaterial mounted upon `the top of the seating block and adapte-d to receive `the pot, said second block having a flat upper surface.

5. In combination with the crowned floor of a pot furnace, of a seating block of refractory material seated in the floor with Vits upper surface projecting above the floor,

and a second block of refractory material mounted upon the top of the seating block and adapted to receive the pot, said second block having a flat upper surface.

6. In combination with the floor of a pot furnace, of a seating block of refractory material set into the floor, a second block of refractory material mounted upon the top of the seating block and adapted to receive the pot, and a layer of divided material between the surfaces of the blocks.

7. In combination with the ioor of a pot furnace, of a seating block of refractory material set into the floor, a -second block of refractory material mounted upon the top of the seating 'block and 'adapted -toreceive `the pot, and a layer of divided, material -between thesurfaces of the blocks, one of said surfaces being capped or recessed to receive -such divided material.

cupped or recessed to receive such divided material.`

9. In combination with `the floor of a pot furnace, of a seating block of refractory material set into the floor, and Va second block of refractory material mounted upon the top of the seating block and adapted to receive Athe pot, said VVsecond block project- 'ing above the floor ofthe furnace, and being of less Vdia-meter `than 'the seating lblock.

In testimony whereof I have vhereunto subscribed my name .this 30th Vday of 'September, 1921.

'LEE SHOIVERS lVitnesses: Y

W. M. J Acces, O. W. Asi. 

